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"Put me down!"
The tiny girl in his arms was screaming at him while also trying to mess up the ground beneath them. Thankfully, he was fairly adept at running on uneven ground. A burst of fire passed close, dangerously close. The girl tried to claw at his face but hit his mask instead. She felt the mask.
"Are you some kind of spirit?"
He couldn't answer. Of course he couldn't answer. The Blue Spirit was mute. The Blue Spirit had to be mute. He wished the girl was able to see him right now so he could communicate as much.
The Blue Spirit with his unwilling passenger dropped from the roof into an alleyway, followed by another bout of flame that flew overhead, and cursed the events that brought him here.
The detour to Gaoling hadn't been planned, but the Avatar's crazy ping-ponging across the map had led to their supplies running low.
Zuko thought the Avatar might be going to Omashu, and Gaoling was a neutral port not too far away. They were likely to come this way afterwards. As it was, he was stuck entertaining his uncle's proclivities while the crew rotated shore leave. The old man had them change into Earth Kingdom clothing despite Zuko's noted protests so that he could sneak them into some underground Earthbending competition. To watch. Because why not?
The battle, Earth Rumble V, had been interesting—especially as a tiny girl came in as a challenger and worked her way up to champion.
The Blind Bandit. She was twiggier than the Avatar. Zuko was even more surprised when she won against everyone who went against her. And some of the audience certainly tried. Zuko kind of wanted to as well, but he didn't think a firebender would be welcome in an Earthbending competition.
It was two days later, still anchored in Gaoling, that Zuko overheard a small group of soldiers plotting. Of course, he didn't know the target was the Blind Bandit then, or his actions might have been different. The group spoke of the secret, hidden daughter of the Beifongs, a local merchant family, who the group wanted to pressure into some kind of deal. There were plans to kidnap and hold hostage the Beifongs' blind daughter, who was apparently quite young and helpless.
Now, Zuko had a lot of respect for women. Of any age. How could he not? His younger sister and her little friends were all terrifying in their own rights, and the Avatar's waterbender was a menace. However, he could also recognize that not all girls were terrifying. Well. Maybe some weren't? Damn. There was those Kyoshi Warriors too… Ok.
The description of the kid caught his attention, though. He wanted to think she could handle herself, but delicate, fragile, blind, and tiny were all descriptors the soldiers used. All ages of women were scary. But if the kid was young enough, like five, then she might not be able to protect herself yet.
'So,' Zuko thought. 'How about I be her backup?'
Zuko dressed in his Blue Spirit costume and made his way to the nearest roof to the Beifong Estate as soon as the sun went down. He perched as close as he could and peered into the gardens.
The girl was outside wandering the grounds. She was dressed in fine clothing and had milky eyes. As the Blue Spirit, he wanted to settle in for a wait, but the girl somehow knew he was there. She nudged him with a bit of earth and gestured for him to come down once she had his attention. He did and stood near her. He gave a little wave.
"Why are you spying on me?"
He made a shield motion and indicated the wall. Then, he froze and facepalmed. Right. Blind.
She tilted her head. "Can you… talk?"
The Blue Spirit's shoulders hunched. He tried to think of a way to warn her. The girl suddenly dropped down and put a hand to the ground.
"More coming. Firebenders!" She grabbed the Blue Spirit's hand and yanked.
It turns out those 'soldiers' he'd overheard were actually a mercenary band who'd somehow found out about the hidden child. They were a combination of fire and earth benders, dodging both drafts and sabotaging both armies where they could. The kid got herself and the Blue Spirit over the wall and then to the roofs as the Blue Spirit defended them with his swords. They were near to being surrounded, so he hefted the girl into his arms and ran.
"Put me down!"
The Blue Spirit did not. At least, not until they set foot in the alley and took shelter. The girl stomped on the ground creating a hole, then jumped inside. After a second of hesitation, wherein the ground shook, the Blue Spirit followed. The hole closed up behind him, trapping them in total darkness.
"So, sword guy, follow me. Why did you decide to try to save me?" A moment's pause for a response. "Take your stupid mask off. I'll warn you before going up."
After some thought, the Blue Spirit complied, becoming Zuko once more.
"Cool, what's your name, sword guy?"
"It's uh, Lee," Zuko lied.
"Well, that was a bald-faced lie," the girl replied.
Zuko noticed she didn't offer her own. He cleared his throat.
"I wanted to make sure you could handle yourself. Overheard them talking. Thought you were maybe five listening to them talk. Didn't get a good look until I came down to the garden."
"I'm not five. I'm 11."
"And an earthbender. Still, kids shouldn't need to fight."
"Oh yeah? And how old are you, Uhlee?"
Zuko winced. "15."
"And you thought you could fight them all yourself?"
"I figured I could keep them off until the guards came."
"Huh. Honest."
Zuko rolled his eyes. Girls.
"Clearly you would have been fine. But tell me honestly. Wouldn't you have tried to protect a supposedly helpless little kid?"
"I'm not a monster."
"Exactly. Will you be okay to return home? They might try for you again." Zuko seriously considered making a little flame to see by as he tripped over a rock for the third time.
"I'll be fine, Uhlee. If anything, I'll be suffocated by my parents. They don't let me breath!"
"Are you the Blind Bandit?" Zuko hadn't realized he'd made the connection until the words were leaving his mouth.
There was silence. The girl stopped walking, and Zuko walked right into her and then fumbled trying to right himself without accidentally injuring her. He managed to catch his balance eventually and took a couple steps back. He shuffled as the silence went on.
Finally, the girl spoke.
"Where should I drop you off, Uhlee?"
"Umm. Near the docks? But not clear view. Behind something, please."
The girl started moving again and Zuko followed. After a few moments, she created a tunnel up and let him pass her after he replaced his mask. She caught his arm.
"Hey," she said, voice suddenly subdued. "Thanks."
The Blue Spirit gave her a nod and exited the tunnel. The tunnel closed behind him.